Traction Agent vs Ice Melt
Winter is a beautiful season, but its arrival also raises several issues and problems. A snowstorm in the winter seasons can wreak havoc on the streets by making traveling risky and creating other mobility issues. It is difficult for individuals to safely walk on ice. They fear tripping and injuring themselves.
To mitigate the risk of slip and fall accidents and make walking on ice safer, people most commonly use ice melt products or traction agents.
Now let’s understand the difference between the two and how they work.
Ice Melt
Ice melt products are a popular choice in making your driveway free from the layer of treacherous ice. After the snowstorm, shovel the excess snow and sprinkle the ice melt granules on your driveway. Ice melt works by attracting moisture to form a liquid brine that generates heat to melt the ice.
There are different ice melt products with different chemical compositions. However, most of them use sodium or potassium chloride as their primary constituent in the blend.
Chloride salts are effective at lower temperatures and are economical, but they are extremely detrimental to your concrete, kids, pets, and environment.
Chloride-based salts melt the ice, and then the melted water seeps into the crevices of the driveway. During the night, when water freezes again, it creates free-thaw cycles and cracks the concrete driveway. If ingested by kids or pets, chloride-based ice melt can cause some serious harm. It also causes burns in the paws of your pets and is detrimental to nearby plants and vegetation.
However, there are other eco-friendly and more effective options available in the market. Safe Paw is a patented dual-effect compound made up of crystalline amide core infused with special glycols. It is a salt-free, chloride-free dog-friendly ice melt that does its job without harming your concrete.
Traction Agents
Ice melts are effective when you need your driveway to be safely accessed. But, ice melts take time to melt ice and cannot be used on new driveways. Traction Agents are the best solution when you need immediate traction on the surface so that you can safely walk on ice anywhere. Tractions agents are also safe for concrete driveways and the environment.
There are various options available in the market.
You can choose organic traction items like sand, wood shavings, sawdust, and kitty litter. Organic tractions agents make walking on ice easier and are also less harmful and cost-efficient as compared to salts.
But on the downside, these organic traction agents provide marginal frictional on the icy surface and creates a lot of mess. They have a tendency to clog your side drains, stick to your shoes. Wood shavings and sawdust can also hurt your pet’s paws.
Walk on Ice is another traction agent that is composed of natural crystals. These crystals create a solid layer on a surface to provide better footing for traction on snow. Firstly, they absorb excess water that makes ice less slippery. Then, the gripper granules dig into the ice and create a dry, non-slippery layer. Walk on ice is made of micronutrients. They allow the product to be swept into the lawn or garden for greener grass and a lush garden in the spring.
Because of its convenient size, Walk on Ice is perfect to store in a glove compartment or even a handbag. It can also provide quick traction to your car tires. Simply, rub it on and around your tires, and your car can be skid-free in no time.
Get ready for winter with Walk On Ice instant traction on snow and ice
Other Ice Melt Products
Safe Paw
The Original and the #1 Pet and Child Safe Ice Melt for over 20 years. Guaranteed environmentally safe – will not harm waterways and sensitive wetlands. Safe Paw can change how winter affects our planet.
Safe Thaw
Imagine an ice melt you can put down and never worry about. It won’t harm pets, kids and your property. That’s Safe Thaw. Unlike anything else on the market, Safe Thaw can change how winter affects our planet.
